


The Mirror of Erised

by Calling_All_Astronauts



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: I Don't Even Know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-09-26 09:09:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9878858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calling_All_Astronauts/pseuds/Calling_All_Astronauts
Summary: Gemma, a troubled young girl, somehow manages to use the Mirror of Erised as a portal to Hogwarts.*I can't summary right now*





	1. Chapter 1

The mirror was like water and the glass seemed to swirl around her fingers as they brushed against it.

Whatever was happening, she knew it must be very powerful, as she could feel the surge of energy, almost like electricity, crackling beneath the surface. As she sat, stroking the cool glass, not yet daring to offer more than a few light touches, she couldn't help but wonder what secrets lay behind that silky screen.

It was strangely hypnotic: standing there in the quiet isolation of the bathroom, knowing her classmates, or inmates (she had never thought of them as friends) were so close, filling in test papers on the other side of the wall, and yet so far away, in that they could not see what she saw: could not feel the gravity of this mirror, drawing her closer and filling her with a kind of burning impulse that made her fingers itch.

"Gemma," A voice whispered and she knew it had come from the place beyond the glass but still looked around anyway. Growing up in The Home (or Academy as they were supposed to call it now) meant there was hardly ever any peace. Someone was always watching you: student or staff. But not now.

Now, in this moment- her moment, she was completely alone and she took one last look at the peeling wallpaper and grubby floor. She thought one last time about Mr Peters and how he would sneak into their dormitory at night and snatch up one of the older girls, carrying her away only to be returned later, shaking from some unspeakable horror. A horror from which Gemma had so far been spared. But she wouldn't be spared forever. 

And, though the world on the other side of this strange mirror was a complete mystery, anything was better than staying here.

Taking her chances, and praying that she would come out of wherever she ended up alive, the young girl slipped a hand through the glass, noticing at once how unlike water the mirror actually was. It felt tougher, somehow, and sort of leathery. At this revelation, she tried to pull her hand back but it was no use. The part of her on the other side of the mirror was now trapped and there was no turning back.  
Realising, somewhat unhappily, that the mirror clearly only went one way, the girl bit her lip before hurling herself headfirst into a complete and terrifying darkness...

 

 

“Ooph!”

It wasn’t a very eloquent response, but the hardy crack to Gemma’s head as she landed on the cold, stone floor had left the child totally lost for words.

Groaning, she sat up and placed a shaking hand to the sore spot on her head. There would be a lump there soon and she could still feel the force of the blow echoing in her skull as she opened her eyes and blinked. Wherever she was, it was very dark and it took her eyes a while to adjust to the change in lighting. When they did she was shocked by what she saw.

The mirror she had fallen through seemed to have doubled in size and the smudged screen was now prefect and unmarred, reflecting the dim orange glow of some unseen candles. At the top of the mirror was a strange inscription and at the bottom, it stood on heavy stone feet.

These things, however, were not what Gemma noticed first. 

Instead, she stared wide eyed at her own, glowing reflection. Noting, with embarrassment, that she was now completely naked.

Her clothes must still be on the other side of the mirror and she pressed a hand to it, hoping to travel back to her own world but it was no use. The portal had closed and whatever strange force had bought her here clearly did not intend on sending her back so soon. 

Gemma sighed in frustration and collapsed back onto the stone floor, hair fanning around her as she groaned. Her head was still pounding, and the pain made it hard to think but she knew she had to do something. As much as she wanted to stay where she was, she knew laying here naked wasn’t going to help her and besides, she had to find out where she was.

Standing up, she took another look around the room, using her hands to cover herself awkwardly when she again caught sight of her naked reflection. 

It was quite a large room really and what little light there was seemed to be coming from a few, strangely placed candles at the end furthest from the mirror where there stood a small, wooden door.

She walked towards it, glancing for a second at the candles and noting how strangely they seemed to glow, giving off less and less light the closer you got: almost as if they were alive.

When her hand finally reached out and she touched the handle the lights extinguished themselves and Gemma shrieked instinctively, pulling hard against the door until it swung open.

Outside the strange room the world seemed to grow simultaneously brighter and more frightening. She at once used her hands to cover her naked body again, and stared in wonder at the new world around her. 

She was in a castle: that much was clear from the high stone walls around her and the creepy armoured knight who was balanced stiffly against one of the walls. It was like being in a fairytale and the young girl tiptoed silently through the corridor, praying she wouldn’t bump into a troll, or anyone else for that matter: at least not until she had a chance to find something to cover herself.

Luckily, as she made her way through the corridor, she came across a tapestry hanging on one of the walls and tore it down, wrapping it around her shoulders like a cloak. She thought about calling for help but it didn’t seem like a good idea. She didn’t know anyone here and was afraid of attracting the wrong sort of attention.

Just as she was deciding which way to turn at one of the many corners she heard a grunt and an angry male voice boomed out from behind her.

“What in Merlin’s name do you think you’re doing out of bed at this time!” He shouted and the girl didn’t risk a look at who had spoken as she darted away from the heavy footsteps now pounding towards her.

Her bare feet slid on the cold stone floor as she rounded a particularly sharp corner but the girl managed to keep herself upright and continued to run frantically, her pursuer still shouting as he stormed towards her.

“Come back here this instant!” He shouted. “Or I’ll take so many House Points you’ll be in negative figures!”

Gemma wasn’t sure what that meant but it sounded bad. Still, she couldn’t stop herself running and would have continued to do so, had it not been for the sight of another, seemingly older man rounding the corner she had just turned into, causing her to stumble backwards and trip on the tapestry cloak which pulled out from under her as she fell.

This time she had the good sense to put her hands out behind her to break her fall, although when her first pursuer finally caught up with her she wished she had been knocked unconscious.

The man mumbled something under his breath and light flooded the corridor, illuminating her naked body.

 

 

When Professor Snape realised the child wasn’t wearing anything he blushed hard, averting his eyes as he picked up the blanket she had previously been wrapped in (which turned out, to his annoyance, to be a very old and very expensive tapestry) and threw it over her.

Looming down, he ground his teeth, trying to think of a suitably snide thing to say when Filch suddenly appeared from around the corner the girl had tried to run down. 

That must have been what startled her and the Professor eyed the Caretaker and his mangy cat through narrowed eyes as they approached the scene.

“Well, well Professor.” Filch smirked, leering at the girl who sat wide and frightened before him, tapestry clutched protectively to her chest. “Seems we caught this one at it. What were you doing running around the castle in the middle of the night? And in such a horrid state of undress?”

Professor Snape rolled his eyes. 

Filch had a thing for drama and seemed to be enjoying this far too much, whilst all Snape wanted was to finish his rounds and get back to bed.

“Thank you Filch but I’ll deal with this one myself.” He said, waving a dismissive hand at the old man who reluctantly scuttled back into the shadows.

Careful not to disturb the fabric of the tapestry he offered the child a hand and helped her to stand.

“Honestly,” He began with a sigh. “I don’t think I want to know what you were doing tonight. Just give me your name and House. I will take 20 points, escort you back to your dormitory and we will say no more about it.”

The girl nodded but remained mute.

“Well.” He pressed. “What is your name?”

“Gemma.” The girl said quietly.

Professor Snape rolled his eyes again.

“Your full name.” He insisted.

“Oh. Um, Gemma Morton.” She said.

“And you house.” He continued, struggling to remain calm when the girl shifted on her feet and said nothing. “I don’t have time for games Miss Morton.” He pushed.

Gemma bit her lip. “Hilltop?” She said. She knew it was the wrong answer but it was the only thing she could think of and, after all, Hilltop Girl’s Academy was her home.

Snape let out a puff of stale air and swallowed hard. “What house are you in?” He asked one last time and when the girl repeated her first answer he shook his head.

“Right, whatever. I don’t care.” He said. “I will find out who you are and deal with you in the morning. Now get yourself back to bed.” He ordered and the girl began to walk quickly away down one of the corridors, not realising she was heading straight into a dead end.

Snape sighed and brushed a weary hand against his face.

“On second thoughts I will escort you to the Infirmary as you are clearly incapable of making your own way anywhere.”

The child nodded and followed silently behind the dark haired man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason my computer always tries to correct "Filch" to "The Filch" It's more annoying than you'd think.


	2. Part Two (The Infirmary)

Snape almost howled in relief when they finally made it to the infirmary, settling instead for a tired grunt as he opened the door and shoved the girl roughly into the hands of the startled mediwitch.

"What's happened?" She asked, rushing towards the girl and beginning to check her over as fast as she could.

"I've no idea." He said honestly. "I found her wandering the castle in… that." He gestured accusingly at the tapestry and the mediwitch reached out a hand to remove it from the child's tight grasp. "I wouldn't." He warned. "She's got nothing on under there."

"Naked?" Madame Pompfrey asked and Snape nodded. 

Suddenly seeming very concerned, the old mediwitch crouched down until she was at eye level with the girl. "What happened tonight?" She asked seriously. "Did someone hurt you?"

Snape swallowed the lump in his throat. 

Oh. 

He hadn't thought of that.

But the young girl only shook her head and he let out a sigh of relief.

"No." She said honestly. "I hit my head when I fell out."

"Fell out of what?" Snape asked, eyebrows lowering in concentration. 

Bed? 

Had she fallen out of bed and gone sleepwalking? Was that it?

It still didn't explain why she was naked, unless she slept that way… he didn't linger on the thought for long.

"The mirror." Gemma continued, struggling to portion out her eye contact between the two as fairly as she could as she judged their reactions.

Did they believe her?

"What mirror?" Madame Pompfrey asked kindly, steering the girl towards the nearest bed and taking a seat beside her.

Snape still stood in the doorway, feeling traitorous to himself. He normally had no time for dramatics, especially the teenage sort, but this really did seem… unusual. 

Yes, that was why he was staying. 

It was unusual and Poppy might need help.

"It was a big mirror." She said, struggling to explain. "I went through a small one and I came out of a big one and then I hit my head."

Snape interrupted. "She's clearly delirious." He said. "She can't even remember what house she's in."

Gemma looked at her toes, scrunching her eyebrows together as she thought hard. Should she know what house she was in? He had made it sound like such an obvious question but she truly had no idea.

"Hilltop is a house." She said quietly. "Sort of..."

Snape shook his head and Madame Pompfrey gave the girl's shoulder a tight squeaze as though she thought she had gone mad.

"Get Dumbledore." She said and Severus headed off in search of the Headmaster.

 

"What did you say her name was?" Dumbledore asked as the pair made their way back towards the Infirmary. 

"Gemma." Snape said again. "Gemma Morton."

"Funny." The old man said, his blue eyes sparkling curiously. "I don't believe there is a Gemma at Hogwarts this year."

Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. "You think she's lying?"

Dumbledore shrugged and sped up a little, his mismatched lion slippers slapping on the stone floor as he hurried through the sleeping school.

 

"Hello Gemma." Dumbledore said kindly, reaching into her eyes and gently extracting the memories of that night. She could feel what he was doing… it was strange and she tried to pull her gaze away but it felt impossible.

Professor Snape stood stoically in the corner of her room, watching the Headmaster as he scoured he girl's memories, wondering what he had found.

"Well," Dumbledore said at last, finally breaking the prolonged eye contact. "I see you've had quite the night!"

Gemma smiled nervously before Snape cut in.

"What's happened?" He asked.

"Exactly what she said… though admittedly it's a little strange. How old are you Gemma?"

"Ten." She said and Snape looked sceptical so she added a cross "I am!"

Dumbledore laughed, the twinkle in his eye rasurring Madame Pompfrey that the girl would be all right. "Quiet right." Dumbledore smiled, looking up at Severus and nodding. "Shall we find the mirror then?" He asked.


	3. Part Three (Back to the Mirror)

Dumbledore seemed to know exactly where he was going and he led the way, closely followed by Madame Pompfrey, who had placed a protective arm around the child, and Snape who was hanging back from the group, clearly wary of where they were heading.

The four of them padded through the empty school, retracing Gemma's steps from the Infirmary and back down the corridor where a rather sorry looking metal pole was hanging sans-tapestry.

Snape eyed it briefly.

It didn't take long before they reached a small wooden door. Dumbledore paused outside it and turned to the child in question.

"Was this the room?" He asked kindly and Gemma nodded.

The door unlocked with a quiet click and the small group walked in. 

Snape's eyebrows knitted together as he noticed the mirror stood at the back of the room. He immediately recognised it and turned away from the haunting reflection.

"Erised?" He questioned angrily, turning to the the headmaster in disbelief. "I thought you got rid of that thing years ago."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I couldn't."

Snape looked down, still angry. More angry than he knew he should be.

"I don't understand." He said. "It's just a mirror. Nothing it shows is real."

"But I fell through it!" Gemma demanded and Snape's scowl deepened.

"It's impossible." He said, speaking past her, directly to the Headmaster.

"Not impossible." Dumbledore smiled. "Just unlikely."

Snape huffed in annoyance. "And what do you suppose we do now? Shall we try and shove her back through?"

He was being sarcastic but the child spoke up, startling him.

"I already tried that." She said. "It only goes one way."

Snape narrowed his eyes and looked at the Headmaster for direction.

"I suppose, we keep her here." He said and Gemma smiled. "After all it seems to be what the mirror wanted."

Snape scowled and Madame Pompfrey gasped

"What about her parents?" She exclaimed.

Gemma looked up at the mediwitch. "It's fine." She said. "My parents are dead."

She sounded strangely upbeat and Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Excellent." He laughed and Snape scowled.

"It's been a long night." The old man said, turning to Madame Pompfrey. "I suggest you take Gemma back to the Infirmary to get some rest. We can introduce her to the school tomorrow."

The mediwitch nodded and the pair left the room.

Snape turned to the Headmaster who was looking longingly into the mirror. "You should have got rid of it." He said quietly.

Dumbledore sighed. "I know." He said.


End file.
